Black Friday 2013 deals are easier to find with these shopping apps

Many retailers, for instance, will match deals you find elsewhere. These apps can help you find better prices to show the cashier. Some let you search for coupons, while others tell you whether you’re better off buying online instead. And one keeps track of all those promotional fliers that do little good if you forget them at home.

Unfortunately, if you prefer to shop at mom and pop stores, you won’t find any deals here. But if you don’t mind big retailers, these apps offer a hefty selection of deals from them. These are all free, easy to use and beautifully designed:

— RetailMeNot (available for Android, iPhone): This app lets you search for coupons from your favourite stores, so you can instantly save 10 per cent, 20 per cent or even more on a single item or your entire shopping cart. You can scroll through the list of hot deals on the home page or search for a specific store.

— Amazon (available for Android, iPhone, Windows): These two apps let you check prices online, for those retailers that will match cheaper prices you find in hopes you’ll buy on the spot.

— RedLaser (available for Android, iPhone, Windows):Offers similar price-checking features as Amazon’s app by letting you scan a product’s barcode.

— Cartwheel by Target (available for Android, iPhone): Target’s app has coupons for everything from electronics to toys to cereal. Once you find a coupon you want to use, you tap the add button. Then present the cashier with a single barcode that has collected all the coupons you selected.

— Flipp (available for iPhone): This app helps you find and track newspaper circulars. You can leave the paper behind, as Flipp has digital versions with the coupons in them.

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Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.